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Dee's avatar

Your discussion got me thinking about what designations such as Black or White or Native accomplish. I am old enough to remember the Black Pride movement of the 60s, and so I always felt like labelling oneself Black was a way to show that one was not ashamed of it. It was positive. But pride is a funny thing; sometimes it has a negative aspect, and becomes a way to assert superiority, rather than equality. Then we're back where we started, except now a different group is on top. Sometimes the supposed unity or sameness of a racial or ethnic group has little basis in reality. I have noticed that a lot of people who proudly identify as Native American have a completely mixed ancestry, with perhaps one great-grandparent being a tribal member, and everyone else in their family tree being white or black or some mix. I sympathize with not wanting to hide one's native ancestors, to be as proud of them as anyone else, and in America you have a right to identify any way you want to. But it does call into question just how "real" any of these ethnic or racial identities are. More like a state of mind? That's okay, but maybe it's time to not take it so seriously and just be your own person. I had never really thought much about capitalizing black and white, and at times have been unsure as to what was appropriate. So I appreciate y'all delving a little deeper.

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Jeffrey Peoples's avatar

I don’t write black with a capital B basically for the same reason as you Glenn. If we capitalize white, it looks like a thing a klansman would do to emphasize some sort of tribal unity of the White Race(tm). And when the klansman writes about White people, he does as a racial cop—someone dictating the cultural boundaries of what a white person ought to be; how a white personal ought to be loyal to “his people.”

Its the same impression I get from black people who insist on capitalizing black. They want to play the race cop; they want an imaginary racial “community”, where people who are black are particularly loyal to other black people because of their race. And they want to dictate the culture of individual black people, and declare those black people who do not fit their desired culture as false black people or traitors to the “black” race.

It’s racial tribalism. Something I consider a type of racism, or at least a pillar of racism. And there is a political faction that is deeply committed to keeping as many black people racially tribalized as they can for their own ambitions. That political faction leads the Democratic Party. The same party that fought a war to keep our ancestors enslaved, but somehow inexplicably receives support and loyalty from the vast majority of black people. And that same majority, quite often angry at the legacy of slavery and racial oppression in America, is also inexplicably apathetic about the Democratic Party’s central role in that legacy.

I don’t understand it. I have received violent threats from other black people because of my political and philosophical views (I am not a Republican or “conservative”). Until more black people push back on the ideologues that are upheld by the Democratic Party, I don’t see much change ahead for the “black community.” Too many black people are attached to a racial tribalism that actively resists cultural self-reflection and even embraces cultural pathology.

Hopefully that changes.

Ironically, there are many white people who, if they read this comment, would think that I’m somehow doing some immoral thing by judging the racial tribalism of black people—but those same white people probably have no qualms about judging the racial tribalism of white people. I have no interest in being part of any racial community. No one should. It’s a human vice based on ignorance and insecurity. We should not love or hate people more or less because of their race or any other superficial trait. If that idea upsets someone, they are racist.

Yah, so don’t capitalize black.

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